Ghost Town
by writing-to-music
Summary: In which Magnus didn't learn his lesson about the consequences of listening to Adam Lambert. Sequel to "Sleepwalker", please review!


**A/N: Well, here it is, folks; the sequel to "Sleepwalker" that nobody asked for. I have to admit, though – it was incredibly fun to write.**

 **Thanks to my sister, who gave me this idea.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. Not TMI, and not Adam Lambert.**

After the uncanny events that followed Magnus' unceasing listening of "Sleepwalker", Alec thought that maybe Magnus had learned some sort of control when it came to Adam Lambert.

Apparently, Alec was wrong, judging by the fact that he was currently standing in the middle of freaking _nowhere_.

 _Eight Hours Earlier_

Sitting in his and Magnus' kitchen in the morning, with a cup of coffee, was one of Alec's favourite experiences. Growing up with all Shadowhunters, there really was no stopping during the day. It was train, fight demons, train, and fight demons. Shadowhunters were not slow beings. And generally, Alec was okay with that. It was all he'd ever known.

But there was something wonderful, something special, about being still and quiet. Especially when you had the person you loved most in the next room. In Alec's case, that person ought to be joining him any minute now.

It was peaceful until the silence was shattered by the sound of music blasting through the speakers in the next room. Alec didn't jump, as he had been trained not to, but his hands twitched reflexively towards the hidden knife, the one strapped to the bottom of the chair.

Magnus had walked into the room at the moment the music started. He was holding a remote and had a massive smile on his face, one that was not even dulled when he saw Alec's reflex action.

"Another one?" he complained teasingly. "How many knives have you hidden in my apartment, Lightwood?"

"Not nearly enough, Bane," Alec retorted, but there was no menace in his voice. "What song is that?"

"Ghost Town," Magnus replied, grinning. "What do you think?"

"I think it's really – the singing's good," Alec replied. The truth was, he thought he recognized the singer's voice, from somewhere that he would rather forget.

Magnus started to smirk at the look on Alec's face when he started to sing the bridge of the song. As always, Magnus sang loudly and off-key. He couldn't help that he was born with no musical talent, but he knew nobody would dare to tell him to stop. Well, maybe Catarina and Ragnor... and Alec, of course.

"Magnus – oh, no, that's an Adam Lambert song!" said Alec, with a look of horrified annoyance. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Magnus nodded, and launched into the chorus again, swaying to the beat.

Alec groaned, and rested his head on the table.

 _Present Time_

It wasn't like Alec had no idea what had happened. Magnus' magic had obviously gone haywire, as Magnus seemed to do when Adam Lambert songs were involved. What was it about that amazing voice (and yes, Alec agreed that Adam Lambert was very attractive as well. He kind of looked like Magnus) that just made Magnus _do_ stuff like this?

Alec sighed, and kept walking towards the cluster of buildings he saw in the distance. Hopefully there would be somebody there, and the magic hadn't taken the song _too_ literally.

His hopes were dashed when he reached the town, which had only taken him a few minutes. There was no sign of life anywhere, and barring the tumbleweeds, no sign of movement. Alec stood on the wooden porch of an empty house and pulled out his cell phone. He had been hoping to avoid this – Magnus would get such a kick out of it – but he could see no way around it.

He had to call Magnus and explain.

Squinting through the bright desert light, he punched in Magnus' number, concentrating so much he barely heard the telltale rattle of what had to be one of the only other living thing in this town.

Because of course there were demons there. Of course.

Alec's reflexes served him well; as he grabbed one of the three knives he always kept on his person, and swung around to stab it into the demon's chest area. It exploded, the resulting goo spattering Alec. He was close; he had maybe five seconds before it would have hit him.

Plus, Alec was not wearing gear. He had just arrived back at Magnus' and just had time to shower and change before whatever this was happened.

Hurriedly, senses on full alert, he dialed the rest of Magnus' number. If there turned out to be a nest of those demons, he would probably not be able to fight them alone.

Magnus picked up on the first ring, thank Raziel. "Hello, darling, what do you think of the ghost town?" Magnus' voice had the gleeful sound of someone who has just orchestrated a successful prank.

Wait, what?

"You didn't realize there were demons here, did you?" Alec said sarcastically, by way of a greeting.

Magnus' tone lost its smile. "Hang on. I'll come get you."

And he did, but by the time he had opened a Portal and pulled Alec through it, Alec was surrounded by at least ten of the disgusting, vicious little creatures. He had lost one of his knives by one of the demons swallowing it, and was fighting for his life. If only Jace or Isabelle had been there, it would have been fair, but there were just too many for one Shadowhunter alone to handle.

But Magnus had pulled him through at the last second, and when they arrived at Magnus' apartment, Alec only needed an _iratze_ or two for scrapes and bruises. Those kinds of demons were more pests than poison.

Minor injuries taken care of, Alec rounded on Magnus.

"You sent me to a ghost town for a prank?"

"Hey, I didn't know there were demons there," Magnus defended. "I just wanted you to think my magic had gone haywire, and you did, didn't you?"

"Well, yes" –Alec didn't lie to Magnus – "but why would you-"

"I don't feel you've trusted me fully since last time," Magnus said. "Since the sleepwalking. You realize that wasn't magic, right? Just sleepwalking?"

Alec did realize that, when Magnus said it. The sleepwalking was most likely a mental connection between repeatedly hearing the word "sleepwalker" and actually doing it. Alec had no idea why he hadn't been trusting Magnus' magic to not go crazy because of a song. Magnus knew better than to let that happen.

And so he apologized once again for not trusting him to keep his magic under control, and Magnus acknowledged that it wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, sending Alec to a ghost town.

Adam Lambert's album The Original High was amazing, as all his songs were. However, Alec had never really been a music fan, so neither Jace nor Isabelle expected Alec to call in "sick" about a week later, and then find him later that evening, outside.

Alec hadn't known that Jace and Isabelle were going to that Adam Lambert concert, too!


End file.
